I really do wonder what the return for Mcdavid would be. Everyone has a value. Buy out
3/4 of the team, and trade Drasaitl/McDavid for everyone else to fill out an entire roster?

Because that's about the only way they solve the problem.

I'm happy to watch what is essentially Barry Sanders in Detroit though. Best player in the world, absolute worst supporting cast possible surrounding him.

Talbot is in the last year of his current deal. Will he want to return and how much money will he want because the Oilers can't afford to give him a raise over his current contract? He had a down season last year but I think a goaltender can only do so much playing behind that defense. If I was Treliving I would be monitoring that situation as I don't know if there's a trade to be made but if he hits free agency I think you have to consider him.

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Not one person on the other board even mentioned McDavid calling for the pass - it was all about how crappy Benning is. Can you imagine if McDavid is calling for the puck like that and Benning doesn't pass to him? He's be run out of town.

I don't think much of McDavid's hockey IQ. He seems to be a guy that gets by on innate talent alone. He doesn't use his wingers especially well (they'd have at least half his points you'd figure). The Bruins figured out pretty quickly how to defend him (partly - don't let him go one on one with Chara).

McDavid's most unique attribute is both his speed AND the ability to make plays at high speed. I don't know that I've ever seen someone who is that fast, and is able to still control the puck and make plays.

He's not a particularly great distributor of the puck. Which is to say he's really good but not elite.

I think he sometimes is too fast for his teammates.

I compare him to Matthews who has elite skills across almost every area and I'm not sure that I would pick McDavid over him.

McDavid is the most dangerous player in the league at any moment. But he needs to add more elements to his game. Just as Syd did.

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Talbot is in the last year of his current deal. Will he want to return and how much money will he want because the Oilers can't afford to give him a raise over his current contract? He had a down season last year but I think a goaltender can only do so much playing behind that defense. If I was Treliving I would be monitoring that situation as I don't know if there's a trade to be made but if he hits free agency I think you have to consider him.

How much demand will there be for Talbot? He was bad last year, and so far has not looked great this season. I’m just not sure what to make of him. Would this be any better than a lateral move for the Flames? I suppose it would be cheap.

I do think a few of the Oilers are underperforming. With the right coach, they could at least get a few lines going. Not that their D or Goalies have much potential to improve.

I hope they keep McLellan as long as possible. Drive them into the ground. I don't wish harm on the young players that still have potential...but perhaps McLellan can stunt their development just enough so that they only find success after being traded for a Larson or a Strome.

Lets think about this for a second.

McDavid - 3 points. If you believe the hype of a 140 point season, then sure, but lets be honest, a line with Rattie and RNH isn't going to get him there. He's on track for 80 goals and 123 points. I'd say he's right where he should be right now with a bad supporting cast.

Draisaitl - He's looked like he doesn't care, he's not a guy that can really effectively center his own line, he's probably going to end up on McDavid's wing with RNH as panic sets in. He's on track for 82 points which would be a career year.

Lucic - The new and improved Lucic who's oh so much faster and more awesome this year is on track for 40 goals and 82 points, that's an over achievement right now.

Ty Rattie - He's never really been an NHL player, he's got an assist in 2 games so he's right where he should be

Nurse - 1 point, he's been paired with Benning who's a dog. He's actually been about what he should be

Brodziak - he's 34 and there to be a defensive specialist and face off guy, so he's not underachieving right now, he's a 10 goal guy at best, but that would be a miracle with the dogs breakfast bottom 6 there

Caggiula - Probably right where he's supposed to be

Russell - The argument is he's weak on the boards and bad positionally which leads to his heroic shot blocking. I don't think he's underachieving, in fact anything above being a bottom pairing guy is an over achievement. Soooo overachieving.

Kassian - He was disengaged and looked lazy last year, guess what, he's there again so he's neither under or over achieving

Nuge - Ok you got me there, he's underachieving, but what do you expect from a soft small player who couldn't win a puck battle to save his life. But he's not helping out the McDavid which will make the McDavid very angry.

Larsson - The poor guy should have never been put in the position he's in thanks to the Hall trade. Somehow the Oilers convinced themselves that the not very fast but physical defenseman with no offensive skills whatsoever was some kind of bed rock top pairing guys. Surprise he's not, neither under or over

Reider - He's that guy that never could put it together at all, so why are we surprised that he's not playing with anyone good to help him out. I'll give you a slight underachievement, but Reider is not going to win you games.

Strome - I'll give you a slight underachievement with him in a make or break season. But at the end of the day everytime I watch him play he's slow and thinks the game slow. But I'll say slight underachievement

Klefbom - Everyone hyped him to the moon after that miracle playoff season, which I would argue was a massive outlier. Before that year he was a flashes guy that made incredible mind numbing blunders. He's just that guy that's going to tease you but never find consistency. I'll give you a slight underachievement, but I don't buy that this guy will be anything more then a middle pairing dude on a bad blueline.

Khaira - He's a 4th liner with size, he's not going to light it up ever, or provide a lot of offense from the 4th line. Neither over or under

Benning - He's terrible, he's always been terrible and will never be anthing but terrible. Neither over or under

Poolparty - The dude was terrible in the AHL he was terrible in the NHL last year, Oiler fans can think that coaching isn't helping him, but the guy just doesn't have very fast brain. I'll give a slight under achievement here, but his past history shows that he's not what the Oilers think he is.

Yamamoto - He looked overwhelmed and un ready last year. Its no surprised that the tiny player without the tool set of Gaudreau is going to struggle and should go to the AHL except the Oilers have no replacement for him. So neither under or over

Bouchard - Has looked decent offensively and has done some good things in his own end, but mercy his skating is bad. I doubt he gets past the 9 game limit. Over achieve

Talbot - His team has pretty much abandoned him in the first two games, and there are no miracles to be had. A goalie can only do so much when there are a ton of this guy scored moments. Right where a abandoned goalie should be.

The Oilers are what we thought they would be. Slow, unskilled, weak, no depth and no help on the way. If anything its a miracle that they have McDavid providing offense.

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How much demand will there be for Talbot? He was bad last year, and so far has not looked great this season. I’m just not sure what to make of him. Would this be any better than a lateral move for the Flames? I suppose it would be cheap.

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No idea what he will be asking for but I imagine it's going to be in the range of $5 million a season seeing it's his last shot at a big deal. He wasn't as good last season but a .908 SV% behind that defense in the down season isn't terrible. He was the only reason they made the playoffs the season before and IMO they just rode him too hard and the burden of having to steal all those games was going to catch up with them. Treliving tried to trade for him when the Oilers got him so there may still be interest so if he gets to free agency I feel that the Flames would have interest unless his game totally falls off the map this season. I have to think the Oilers will try to keep him seeing they don't have a lot of options to turn to within the organization.

I read somewhere that late in the last game they had Nuge, McNugget and Draisaitl (or however you spell it) playing on the same line. Now that is some serious centre depth on one line!
Not sure who would have been centering the 3rd and 4th lines, Kassian and Russell?

No idea what he will be asking for but I imagine it's going to be in the range of $5 million a season seeing it's his last shot at a big deal. He wasn't as good last season but a .908 SV% behind that defense in the down season isn't terrible. He was the only reason they made the playoffs the season before and IMO they just rode him too hard and the burden of having to steal all those games was going to catch up with them. Treliving tried to trade for him when the Oilers got him so there may still be interest so if he gets to free agency I feel that the Flames would have interest unless his game totally falls off the map this season. I have to think the Oilers will try to keep him seeing they don't have a lot of options to turn to within the organization.

That's a good point. I am honestly not adverse to the Flames pursuing Talbot—and the schadenfreude of him finding success in Calgary would be absolutely delicious—but he is probably #3 or 4 on my list of goaltending targets this summer. Bobrovsky is likely a pipe dream, but I think I would set my focus on Varlamov before Talbot.

Anyhow...

No. Not even the ghost of 2017-vintage Cam Talbot can save the Edmonton Oilers.

Propaganda Minister Bob is on air with Elliotte Friedman now and just claimed that he heard from several players on other teams who played against the Oilers in the 2017 playoffs who said that the Oilers would have won the Anaheim series had Draisaitl centred his own line.

Propaganda Minister Bob is on air with Elliotte Friedman now and just claimed that he heard from several players on other teams who played against the Oilers in the 2017 playoffs who said that the Oilers would have won the Anaheim series had Draisaitl centred his own line.

Sure thing, Bob.

Perhaps he meant “if Draisaitl COULD have centered his own line”

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Propaganda Minister Bob is on air with Elliotte Friedman now and just claimed that he heard from several players on other teams who played against the Oilers in the 2017 playoffs who said that the Oilers would have won the Anaheim series had Draisaitl centred his own line.

Propaganda Minister Bob is on air with Elliotte Friedman now and just claimed that he heard from several players on other teams who played against the Oilers in the 2017 playoffs who said that the Oilers would have won the Anaheim series had Draisaitl centred his own line.

Sure thing, Bob.

I remember that series, pretty much the Ducks were the far better team except for the all god mode goaltending of Cam Talbot. The Oilers except for one game were hanging on by one fingernail while screaming for their mommy.